The Minnesota Vikings have a new starting quarterback after sending a 2027 third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for Kirk Cousins. No player in Minnesota’s locker room could benefit more from the reunion than star wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
Jefferson’s frustration became increasingly noticeable during Minnesota’s Week 8 loss to the Detroit Lions and carried over into the Week 9 defeat against the Buffalo Bills. In that matchup, he managed just three receptions on 11 targets for 58 receiving yards.
The struggles reflect a larger issue for Minnesota. Over the past two seasons, Jefferson’s production has been affected by inconsistent quarterback play, making Cousins’ return a potentially significant development for the Vikings’ passing attack.
Jefferson has had 115 catches for 1,441 yards and has scored six touchdowns in 24 games in his last two seasons, per StatMuse. Nonetheless, The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen predicts a major offensive boost from Jefferson with Cousin back in Minnesota.
“I think it’s going to be a huge boost for Justin Jefferson,” Nguyen said in a Nov. 12 video from “The Athletic LIVE.” “He’s been a pretty good teammate, as you guys mentioned, when he could easily be complaining or requesting a trade. He had two of his best seasons with Kirk Cousins at quarterback. We’ve seen Kirk Cousins force-feed the ball to Brock Bowers.
“Even when Bowers wasn’t necessarily open, he still threw him the ball and made some good passes to him in covered situations. I think we’re going to see Jefferson get the ball more in situations where he’s actually open, and he’s going to get more 50-50 balls. There will be calculated gambles, so I expect him to get a huge statistical boost with Kirk Cousins throwing him the football.”
Vikings Get Positive Outlook on Kirk Cousins’ Transition
Moreover, Nguyen notes that the Vikings getting Cousins, who knows their system, is a major bonus for the team to try and get their offense on an upward trajectory after weeks of struggles.
“It’s huge,” Nguyen added. “I think with a lot of midseason quarterback trades, they don’t work out because it’s really hard to pick up a system and learn it midseason. But I think with Kirk’s familiarity with KOC, it’s going to make the transition a lot easier.
“There will probably be a period of four or five weeks when things don’t look completely smooth, but by the time the playoffs arrive and the team is competing, he should be playing pretty well.”
Stephen A. Smith Has Blunt Outlook on Justin Jefferson
With Cousins now back in Minnesota, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith believes Jefferson will start producing at a level many expect from him.
“We have every reason to believe that [Jefferson is] going to start looking like the receiver we know him to be, at least to some degree [after the Vikings traded for Cousins],” Smith said on the Nov. 11 edition of “First Take.” “It was an utter disgrace what the Minnesota Vikings have done to him. I called out Kevin O’Connell, and I meant every damn word of it.
“It’s a shame what they’ve done to Justin Jefferson over the last year and a half. You don’t have an all-world receiver like that. He hasn’t looked like that over the last year and a half because he hasn’t had a quarterback.”
Kirk Cousins’ Vikings Return Sparks Strong Justin Jefferson Prediction